Say What?

I understand why authors take reviews personally. What I don’t understand is the incessant need to defend their work. Most likely, nothing they say will change the opinion of the reviewer. So why do they put themselves through something that makes them look so bad? I just don’t get it.

I’m a little slow considering that this review went up on 2/24, but after reading one of the author’s comments, I had a WTF moment. I get that the comments can be misconstrued and misunderstood very easily. I hope that I misunderstood the state of mind that this author seemed to be in. With all the *LOL*’s and *G*’s, I was imagining someone sitting at their computer, frantically typing all while manically laughing. Disturbing, to say the least. Still, I could care less that this author was digging the hole deeper and deeper with every comment she made. It wasn’t until I read the following sentence that I took offense and I’m not even an author.

There are also too many BDSM stories out there where the authors, frankly, obviously have no real-life experience with the BDSM lifestyle other than what they pick up on the internet.

Omfg.

Joey W. Hill is a fantastic BDSM author. One of my favorites. If she’s that good, it must be because she has real-life experience. I don’t know how she has time to write with everything she has to experience before writing it. I am wondering how she experienced a m/m romance. I’ll have to think about that one.

Lora Leigh? Good Lord, she must have been with hundreds of men and women. How could she write ménages otherwise? I am a little curious about her Breed series. All the readers of this series know that the Breed males have a stick at the end of their dick that extends when they’re with their true mate. How’d she come up with that one? Do I even want to know?

To me, this comment doesn’t just apply to authors that go from writing “vanilla” to something a little more risqué. It means that “vanilla” authors that don’t have their own happily ever after can’t write one. Authors that don’t have the best.sex.ever with their lover must not be able to write it. I guess that having the gift of imagination and storytelling isn’t enough.

If I want to read something that is true, I’ll read non-fiction. Thankyouverymuch.

Well, I’ll have you know that I’ve had sex with a shapeshifting griffin, I’ve cleaved werewolves in half with demon slayer weapons and once had a demon show up on the back of my toilet bowl.

What gets me are the folks who think authors write from experience. I’ve actually had ex-boyfriends email and say, “wow, I didn’t know you were so amorous.” Um. I wrote a sex scene. It’s not real. The rest of it isn’t real either.

Stephen King’s life must be terrifying! I mean, really, anyone who could tie someone up and break their ankles? And to have survived that Mist only to discovered you had killed your own son! Thankfully he can write it all down. It must be very cathartic for him.

As for the rest of it, I found no one came out of that smelling like a rose.

Odd comment indeed.BDSM is one of my favourite genres. I judge those books more harshly than others because it’s something that I know about, that I have experience with.

As long as an author can write it as if she has done it, then I say good for her, and give her props for it because she did her job.However, there have been times, many times, when the emotions and actions just don’t ring true and it turns me off.

I don’t care if an author who writes BDSM has experience with it or not, but she must be able to write about it as if she does have experience with it.That just has to do with being a good author, right? Write it like you own it. Make your readers believe what you write.

That’s probably why even though I like BDSM better I enjoy paranormal more. I have no experience with someone sucking blood out of my neck, and I’ve never seen my husband turn into a wolf, so it’s easier for me to believe it how the author writes it.

Personally, I understand and think everyone should feel free to defend their work – whether they do it intelligently is their choice. Not to mention, technically, Dear Author is addressing their review to the “author”. Also, I feel that writers of any kind (professional or amateur or drive-by commentator) should be accountable for their writing when it is in a public forum. They should take care the effect of their words.

Since reading Dear Author’s rant about LH’s Death Angel promoting double standards, I’ve been completely turn off from reading their blog. I find some of their posts to be highly bias and emotional therefore resulting in sometimes harsh judgement-as in this case.Joan/Sara F has every right to her feelings about the story and it is helpful to readers who doesn’t want such darkness/controversy in their romance. But to read a fictional story and start setting rules to what is not allow and what is right or wrong when writing BDSM (or any topic)- well, that presumuous and self-righteous. Yes, some people DO make bad choices when dealing with life (real or fiction) and yes, some people do BDSM for all the wrong reasons and a thousand times “yes” it is so sad to see/read that. But is it NORMAL or RIGHT? Who’s to say? Just say “it’s not my cup of tea” and leave it.

I find the review more disturbing than all the “LOL” and *G* from the author.

Excellent point, Cindy. I can think of one or two popular paranormal series books where the author broke her own rules in the world she created and because of it those later books no longer make sense or are believable.

Quote of the Week

“You will be a wonderful queen. Kind, caring, compassionate. Strong, cunning, and ruthless when you need to be. But I can’t break my promise to myself. I won’t. Not even for you, highness.” The last word came out as a low whisper, but somehow, it shattered my heart more than if he had been shouting curses at me.”

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